bChapter /b314

Author’s POV:

7

b89 /b

The metallic stench of blood filled the helicopter cabin. Ethan’s hands trembled slightly as he assessed the damage. Jade’s body was a battlefield–bruises painting her skin in violent shades of purple and blue,cerations crisscrossing her arms, and worst bof /bball/bb, /bthe gaping wound on her shoulder where bone gleamed white through torn flesh.

“Everyone out,” Ethanmandedb, /bhis voice cutting through the rhythmic thrum of the rotor des. His security team exchanged concerned nces before filing out toward the cockpit, leaving him alone with Jade.

With a swift motion, he tore open her blood–soaked shirt. The sight made his stomach clench–raw fleshb, /bexposed boneb, /band far too much blood. Ethan forced himself to breathe through his mouth, avoiding the coppery scent that threatened to overwhelm him.

“You’ll be okay,” he whisperedb, /bunsure if he bwas /breassuring her unconscious form or himself.

His training kicked in as he reached for the emergency medical kit. With practiced movements, he cleaned the wound, injected a hemostatic agent, and began wrapping her shoulder withpression bandages.

Jade’s eyes fluttered open briefly, disoriented and clouded with pain.

“Cold,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the helicopter’s noise.

Ethan immediately draped his suit jacket over her, followed by an emergency nket from the kit. Her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each exhtion carrying the unmistakable scent of blood–internal bleeding, just as she’d warned him. Before he could say anything more, her eyes closed again, consciousness slipping away.

“Get bus /bto a hospital,” he barked into hism. “Now!b” /b

The helicopter touched down on the hospital’s rooftopnding pad with a gentle bump. Medical staff rushed forward with a gurney as Ethan carried Jade’s limp form from the aircraft. The wind from the still–spinning rotors whipped around them as he carefullyid her on the stretcher.

“Female,te teens, multiple trauma, internal bleeding, shoulder wound with exposed bone,” Ethan rattled off as they rushed toward the elevator. “Blood type O negative.”

The trauma team worked quickly, hooking Jade up to monitors and starting an IV as they descended to the emergency department. Ethan found himself pushed back bas /bthey wheeled her through double doors marked “Authorized Personnel Only.”

“Sirb, /byou need to wait out hereb,/b” a nurse told him firmly.

One of his security personnel approached from the hospital entranceb, /bhis face grim. “Mr. Haxton, we have a problem.”

“What bnow/b?” Ethan’s voice was ice.

“Unidentified helicopter following our flight pattern. Intelligence suggests Shadow Organization operativesb./bb” /b

“Fuck, Ethan hissed.

9:55 Thub, /bOct b2 /b

B

b89 /b

He paced the waiting area, mind racing. The Shadow Organization wasn’t just any adversary–they were professional killers with resources that rivaled small nations. With Jade incapacitated, she was the perfect target.

“I need security at every hospital entrance. Then call NYPD, get patrol cars at every major medical facility in the city. Make it look like

we’re everywhere at once.”

The security officer nodded, already on his phone.

“And get our decoy teams ready. Same helicopter on multiple hospital rooftops. I want them confused about where she actually is.”

Within an hour, Shadow operatives began appearing at hospitals across the cityb–/bsome disguised as visitors, others as medical staff. The borate shell game bought them precious time bas /bsurgeons worked to save Jade’s life.

Four agonizing hourster, a doctor emerged from the operating room, looking exhausted.

“She’s stable for now,” he informed Ethan. “But she needsplete bed rest. No movement whatsoever.”

Their reprieve was short–lived. His security team’s intelligencework reported Shadow operatives systematically searching every hospital in the eastern district.

“They’ve cleared two hospitals and several clinics already,” his head of security reported. “At this rate, they’ll find this location within hoursb./bb” /b

Ethan watched Jade’s unconscious form through the ICU window. They’d stabilized her, but moving her risked reopening her wounds.

Inside the hospital, disguised Shadow operatives moved methodically through corridorsb, /bchecking each room. Some wore white coatsb, /bgranting them ess to restricted areas. They searched room by room, floor by floor, drawing closer to Jade’s location.

“Prepare for immediate transport,” Ethan ordered. “And get those decoy vehicles ready.”

By the time the operative reached Jade’s room, the bed was empty.

In a hospital across town–one already “cleared” by Shadow operatives–Ethan carefully settled Jade into a private room. He pulled the curtains closed and turned on the lights.

The anesthesia wore off quickly. Jade’s eyes opened, alert despite her weakened state.

“They found bus/b,” she stated rather than asked, her bvoice /braspy.

“They did. But bwe’ve /bmoved. This hospital’s been searched already,” Ethan exined.

Jade’s eyes darted around the room, assessing exits and vulnerabilities. “Not for long. They’ll double–back.”

“The doctor says you can’t be moved again.”

‘I can,” she insisted. fn5dd1 ?????? ???? find(?)ovel/fn5dd1

i2/4 /i

9:55 bThu/bb, /bbOct /bb2 /b

“Your helicopter’spromisedb,/b” she continuedb. /b“They’ll have rigged it. Basic assassination technique–let the target board their escape vehicle, then detonate.”

b89 /b

Throughout the city, identical ck SUVS departed in different directionsb, /bcreating an impossible trail for the Shadow operatives to follow. As predicted, they returned to previously searched locationsb, /bonly to find their quarry had vanished.

By nightfall, Jade’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Her body burned with feverb, /bfighting infection despite powerful antibiotics.

Ethan pressed a cool cloth to her foreheadb, /bwatching her btoss /brestlessly in the hotel bed. He’d abandoned the hospital altogetherb, /bopting for The Pinnacle Luxe’s penthouse suite–a location with security he could controlpletely.

“Come on, Jade,” he murmured, recing the cloth with a fresh one.

Her fever raged through the night and into the morning. When it finally began to break, Ethan nearly copsed with relief. She regained consciousness briefly, eyes focusing on him.

“Hospital?b” /bshe asked, looking around in confusion.

“Hotel. Safer.”

She nodded weakly before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Ethan continued his vigil, sending away his security team to avoid drawing attention. In the istion of the penthouse, he methodically cared for her–changing bandages, monitoring vital signs, and administering medication on schedule.

When her fever spiked again that evening, he resorted to alcohol baths. After obtaining bottles from room service, he mixed the alcohol with warm water and began the painstaking process of cooling her body.

He carefully rolled up her sleeve, exposing her arm, and gently wiped it with the dampened cloth. Working methodically, he repeated the process on her other arm, then her neck and corbone, always careful to avoid her wounds.

As he worked, Jade stirred, mumbling incoherently.

b“/bJade?” he called softly, hopeful.

She didn’t respond directly, but whispered a single word: “Dusk…”

“Dusk…b” /bshe repeated, more urgently this time.

Ethan hesitated, uncertain how to respond. Her hand reached out blindly, seekingfort.

“Hold me…b” /bshe whispered. “Please. Just… onest time.”

The vulnerability in her voice shattered something in Ethan. He set the cloth aside and carefully gathered her into his arms, mindful of her injuries.

“I’m here,” he said softly, pretending to be the ghost from her bpast/b.

9:55 Thub, /bbOct /bb2 /b

She rxed against him, her breathing steadying. “Don’t leave me,” she murmured.

“I won’t,” Ethan promised, knowing he bwas /banswering for himself, not Dusk.

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